: Re: Less universe-specific synonyms for "squib"? I write primarily fantasy; recently, it's been brought to my attention that I use the terms "muggle" and "squib" informally fairly often in roleplay.

@Carla500

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Isn't one of the non-Rowling definitions of "squib" "a firecracker which doesn't explode"? So Rowling took something which means "has potential or is expected to do something, and fails to deliver," and used it for slang in a very appropriate way.

As I've said elsewhere, copy the work ethic, not the end result. Find or invent some other term which implies "fails to live up to potential or expectations" and use that instead.

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